Rotating Garment Mannequins With Superheated Air Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial machines for ironing and drying garments, such as overalls and jackets, face limitations in productivity due to prolonged drying times and the need for separate machines for sleeves and collars, which complicates the processing cycle and reduces efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A machine with multiple operating stations, including a loading station, a hot pressing station, and a discharge station, equipped with mannequins that can rotate through a closed path and utilize both superheated air and suction circuits, allowing for continuous air flow and reduced drying time, enabling simultaneous ironing and drying across all stations and eliminating the need for extended hot pressing cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If garments are dried using traditional hot pressing stations alone, then drying is achieved, but drying time is prolonged and productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drying function is segmented from the hot pressing station and distributed to multiple operating stations (loading station, intermediate station, discharge station) along the rotation path. Each station contributes to the drying process through superheated air circulation, allowing parallel processing and reducing the time any single garment spends in one location.
Solution Approach 2:
Superheated air circulation is maintained continuously across all operating stations and throughout the rotation path, ensuring uninterrupted drying action. The system provides continuous thermal treatment rather than intermittent heating, maximizing drying efficiency and reducing total processing time.
2Productivity
If separate machines are used for ironing sleeves and collars, then finishing quality is improved, but device complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ironing unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it can iron the main body of garments, sleeves, and collars by adjusting the positioning of mannequins and pressing plates. The same pressing plates and heating elements serve different garment parts, eliminating the need for separate specialized machines while maintaining finishing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The mannequins are selectively liftable and repositionable, allowing dynamic adaptation of the ironing process. The pressing plates can be moved to different positions and orientations to accommodate various garment parts (sleeves, collars, body), enabling a single machine to perform multiple ironing tasks that previously required separate dedicated machines.
3Ease of operation
If mannequins use suction for garment positioning, then garment disposition is facilitated, but drying efficiency is reduced due to air flow restriction
Solution Approach 1:
The suction function is activated periodically only when needed for garment positioning during loading or unloading operations. During the drying and ironing phases, suction is deactivated to allow free air circulation through the garment and mannequin, thereby maintaining drying efficiency while preserving the positioning capability when required.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration significantly enhances productivity by reducing the time garments spend in the hot pressing station, allowing for the processing of multiple garments in sequence and improving efficiency, while also eliminating the need for separate machines for sleeves and collars through the use of superheated air for finishing and smoothing.
Implementation Method 1
a rotation unit (14) able to determine a movement of rotation of said mannequins from one of said operating stations to the other, in a predetermined and univocal working direction along the closed path
Implementation Method 2
a first circuit (15) for blowing superheated air inside the mannequins... able to be put into fluidic communication with the inside of a determinate zone of the mannequins in order to blow in the superheated air
Implementation Method 3
a second circuit (17) for sucking air through the mannequins... able to be put in communication with the inside of a determinate zone of the mannequins so as to allow suction through them
Implementation Method 4
an ironing unit (16) formed by two heated pressure plates located opposite each other and which act on two opposite sides of the garments to be ironed
Implementation Method 5
two heated pressure plates located opposite each other and which act on two opposite sides of the garments to be ironed
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A machine (10) for the industrial ironing and drying of clothing, in particular, but not only, overalls, jackets and the like, comprises at least three operating stations (A,B,C,D), of which at least a loading station (A), at least a hot pressing station (B) and at least a discharge station (D) disposed in succession along a closed path, each of said operating stations (A, B, C, D) being provided with a relative mannequin (12,112,212,312) on which a damp garment to be ironed and dried is positioned, a rotation unit (14) able to determine a rotation movement of said mannequins (12,112,212,312) from one to the other of said operating stations (A,B,C,D) according to a predetermined and univocal work direction along said closed path, at least generation means (20, 28) to generate a stream of superheated air, the machine further comprises a first circuit (15) to blow superheated air inside the mannequins (12,112,212,312), which is formed by a first part (26,44) connected to said generation means (20,28) and by a second part (42) connected to said mannequins (12,112,212,312), which second part (42) is movable solidly with said mannequins (12,112,212,312) from one to the other of said operating stations (A,B,C,D) and is able to be put in fluid communication with the inside of a determinate zone of the mannequins (12,112,212,312) in order to blow in the superheated air.